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-- What is the perfect size for a studio?


Posted by cammaxwell on Sep-01-2010 15:37:

What is the perfect size for a studio?

I've just started looking at selling my place in the city and moving to the burbs. With my baby boy due in a couple of weeks my girl is insisting we get a larger place, which I like the idea of too since my studio has become the soon to be nursery.

So, with that in mind I intend to build a dedicated studio in the new house and was wondering what the "ideal" room size is...if at all. I know different size rooms can work well, but is there a certain size or dimension that is ideal for sound? I expect to treat the room properly, but there must some type of "ideal" to look for that will help with this.

Any info is appreciated, thanks!


Posted by DJ RANN on Sep-01-2010 23:49:

Re: What is the perfect size for a studio?

quote:
Originally posted by cammaxwell
I've just started looking at selling my place in the city and moving to the burbs. With my baby boy due in a couple of weeks my girl is insisting we get a larger place, which I like the idea of too since my studio has become the soon to be nursery.

So, with that in mind I intend to build a dedicated studio in the new house and was wondering what the "ideal" room size is...if at all. I know different size rooms can work well, but is there a certain size or dimension that is ideal for sound? I expect to treat the room properly, but there must some type of "ideal" to look for that will help with this.

Any info is appreciated, thanks!


It's actually a really difficult question to answer, there's no set size as such, but there are at least a few pointers I can give you.

1, Make sure it's not square - it can get really annoying trying to figure out standing waves and modal problems in a symmetrical room.

2, Try to avoid low cielings - they can really cause listening position problems from splash.

3, Try to avoid Basements - everyone thinks "oh great it's got a basement, that will make a great studio". Aside from the fact there's usually less outside noise in a basement, they're often the worst rooms in the house to have a studio in (often tile or concrete floor, low ceilings, hard wall surfaces, no natural light (it can get to you after time), etc.)

4,Think about rooms which don't have a lot of interference from outside noise sources (i.e have windows that open on to busy street) - our brains tune out exterior noise but that means it will also tune out certain things in your mixing or production, not to mention it's a distraction and forget recording anything if there's bad outside noise.

I general it doesn't have to be huge, just somewhere that is hopefully rectangular or other shape (not completely square), and not with really low ceilings.


Posted by orTof�nChiLd on Sep-02-2010 02:53:

the perfect size for a studio would be a equalateral circle. THe sound would be reflected infinitely for high dynamics and signal to noise ratio


Posted by Nicolas Oliver on Sep-02-2010 04:08:

quote:
Originally posted by cammaxwell
With my baby boy due in a couple of weeks my girl is insisting we get a larger place


Congrats once again my friend


Posted by cammaxwell on Sep-02-2010 13:23:

Re: Re: What is the perfect size for a studio?

quote:
Originally posted by DJ RANN
It's actually a really difficult question to answer, there's no set size as such, but there are at least a few pointers I can give you.

1, Make sure it's not square - it can get really annoying trying to figure out standing waves and modal problems in a symmetrical room.

2, Try to avoid low cielings - they can really cause listening position problems from splash.

3, Try to avoid Basements - everyone thinks "oh great it's got a basement, that will make a great studio". Aside from the fact there's usually less outside noise in a basement, they're often the worst rooms in the house to have a studio in (often tile or concrete floor, low ceilings, hard wall surfaces, no natural light (it can get to you after time), etc.)

4,Think about rooms which don't have a lot of interference from outside noise sources (i.e have windows that open on to busy street) - our brains tune out exterior noise but that means it will also tune out certain things in your mixing or production, not to mention it's a distraction and forget recording anything if there's bad outside noise.

I general it doesn't have to be huge, just somewhere that is hopefully rectangular or other shape (not completely square), and not with really low ceilings.


Thanks, I was actually thinking to put in the basement but maybe I'll use a bedroom now. I like the idea of the basement because I could have easily built a special room (room in a room actually) but the low ceilings is something that I don't think can be avoided.


Posted by cammaxwell on Sep-02-2010 13:23:

quote:
Originally posted by Nick Cenik
Congrats once again my friend


Thanks buddy!!!!


Posted by jerome990 on Sep-02-2010 16:02:

In my point of view ,
perfect size for a studio would be a equilateral circle. The sound would be reflected infinitely for high dynamics and signal to noise ratio .
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Posted by cryophonik on Sep-02-2010 16:07:

An obvious consideration that hasn't been mentioned is how much gear and furniture do you have, or plan on having, in the studio?


Posted by EddieZilker on Sep-02-2010 16:10:

quote:
Originally posted by cryophonik
An obvious consideration that hasn't been mentioned is how much gear and furniture do you have, or plan on having, in the studio?


One must always carefully consider the GAS to CAR (Cubic Area Ratio) when considering new studio space.














Do you see what I did there?


Posted by Zombie0729 on Sep-02-2010 16:41:

quote:
Originally posted by orTof�nChiLd
the perfect size for a studio would be a equalateral circle. THe sound would be reflected infinitely for high dynamics and signal to noise ratio


uh no. hypothetically speaking here, the perfect size of a studio would be no size. a studio that is completely in open space would yield the best results (there's nothing to reflect off, bounce off, absorb, etc). Treatment exists to get a room w/ walls, studs, ceilings etc to sound as transparent as possible. sound leaves the speakers and never returns.


Posted by Looney4Clooney on Sep-02-2010 17:05:

but hypothetically, you would have to sit at least 14 feet away to hear a frequency of 40 hz which would require a pretty big fucking monitor.


Posted by DJ RANN on Sep-02-2010 17:35:

quote:
Originally posted by Mad for Brad
but hypothetically, you would have to sit at least 14 feet away to hear a frequency of 40 hz which would require a pretty big fucking monitor.


But realistically speaking humans don't hear 40hz, they feel it.

And hypothetically speaking the best studio would be an infinite space but there would need to be no floor so everything would have to levitate ideally.

@cam - congrats again man. Bear in mind you can make a basement work with a lot of adjustments just you really stack the odds against you if it has the problems I listed (hard wall and floor surfaces, low ceilings etc).


Posted by Zombie0729 on Sep-02-2010 18:13:

wooooooooo nerd chat. all work & no play makes brad a dull boy.


Posted by cammaxwell on Sep-02-2010 19:12:

I'm software based so there wouldn't be much in terms of gear in there, just two screens and my monitors really...

@DJ RANN Yeah, I've just started looking and do expect to build the room myself (although homes do have a finished basement already). So I can make sure I put in the best floor/ceiling I can, although ceiling height I can't control.

I would consider using a bedroom too, but that would have to pretty sound proof because of the baby (and baby mamma).


Posted by jupiterone on Sep-03-2010 16:01:

best shape of a room is a rectangle, it's the most predictable shape for treating



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